If you were counting on a late afternoon pick-me-up from Starbucks, you'll probably have to make other plans.

Most stores will be closed for the next several hours after the Seattle-based international coffee giant decided to shut down more than 8,000 U.S.-based stores - including nearly a dozen in Greater Cincinnati - to discuss racism and discrimination.

The decision to shut down the stores for four hours starting at 2:30 p.m. locally came in the wake of a racially-tinged incident in Philadelphia last month that sparked nationwide protests.

A Starbucks manager at a Philadelphia store called the police a few minutes after two black men arrived at a store and sat waiting for a friend. The men were arrested for trespassing after reportedly refusing to buy coffee or leave the store.

"The incident has prompted us to reflect more deeply on all forms of bias, the role of our stores in communities and our responsibility to ensure that nothing like this happens again at Starbucks,'' the letter states.

The store closings do not include Starbucks kiosks in grocery stores and other locations not operated by the company. In addition, the stores that were closed shut down at a time when business is typically slow.

And that doesn't include the potential impact on sales from boycotting customers who object to the store closings.

Alice Gravely of Park Hills, Kentucky., said she won't boycott Starbucks because "I can't live without my morning latte.''

But Gravely said she thinks Starbucks made a mistake by "punishing'' all of its employees for the "poor judgment'' of one store employee in Philadelphia.

"It's like having a problem child. You punish that child, not all of his brothers and sisters, and let him be an example,'' Gravely said late Tuesday morning as she left the Starbucks at Crestview Hills Town Center.

Another customer at the Crestview Hills' store had a different point of view.

"This training should be for everybody because its something that probably hasn't happened just once,'' said Cassie Palmer of Lakeside Park. "It's probably happened more than a few times, it's just now in this day and age being seen more in the media, and it's just not fair.''

The training will include approximately 175,000 employees who have been invited to share life experiences, listen to experts on the realities of bias in our society and to discuss the company's mission to "create public spaces where everyone feels like they belong.''

In light of the Philadelphia incident, Starbucks has already issued a policy change allowing anyone to use the bathroom in its stores, even if they don’t purchase anything.

Michael Fischer and Carrie Jones work Downtown and decided to pick up their orders from the Starbucks at Fourth and Vine streets before it closed Tuesday afternoon.

They both applauded Starbucks' recent moves.

"I am impressed by the fact that they're taking some action against what I felt was an injustice,'' Fischer said.

Added Jones: "You have to start somewhere. You have to start with building awareness and changing the culture in an organization to match what you want it to be. If you don't start at that level, you'll never be able to make the changes that are necessary.''